Irion County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21% of Irion County's mapped land, a higher share than 71% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Irion County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.1% |
| Mapped soil | 673,191 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ector | 31% | 0% |
| Angelo | 18% | n/a |
| Cho | 8% | n/a |
| Nuvalde | 7% | n/a |
| Noelke | 7% | n/a |
| Conger | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX235 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 21% of Irion County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.72 in, 2.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.55 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 9 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $13,410 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 20.55 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.72 in (-2.83) |
| 2025 | 22.31 in (+1.76) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1932: 36.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 7.64 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COPE RCH (24 mi away) | 5.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 771 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $204,400 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Irion County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mertzon | 15% | 0% | 430 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Green County, TX | 31 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Reagan County, TX | 32 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Sterling County, TX | 37 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Schleicher County, TX | 39 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Coke County, TX | 45 mi | 11% | under 1% |
| Crockett County, TX | 48 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 50 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Sutton County, TX | 61 mi | 19% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status